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Dermatologist prescribes metformin for woman’s skin rash

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a skin rash (granuloma annulare), and my dermatologist said that there really isn’t a cure for it. It’s in various areas of my body — my upper back, my trunk (mostly in areas where garments hit), and a few other places. The dermatologist recommended using metformin to see if this helps. All my labs are excellent, so metformin has never been something that any of my docs suggested. She even looked at my labs and said that they were great but wants to see if metformin might help. Have you ever heard of this? Should I find a different dermatologist? I’m a ...

Making my bed isn’t about productivity. It’s about kindness.

Columns

While visiting my mom, my son asked, “Why do I have to make my bed at Grandma’s house?” I smoothed the quilt over the mattress and answered without thinking, “Because Grandma likes it neat and she deserves a nice space.” My response surprised me. What did being tidy have to do with worth? I somehow managed to frame household chores as a matter of being deserving. Self-worth is a lifelong lesson for me. Like many of us, it’s something I’ve worked on through therapy and journaling. I confront my demons, and I like to think I’m slaying them one by one. I thought my ...

The moral paradox of extreme wealth: Why people oppose it yet are reluctant to take steps to reduce it

Columns

In 2026 — up until July — Elon Musk’s estimated wealth was growing by somewhere between US$30 million and $100 million an hour, making him, at least briefly, the worlds’ first trillionaire. By comparison, the typical American worker earns between $23 and $56 an hour. While Musk’s wealth, even in the face of recent losses, is extreme, dramatic disparities have become commonplace. As of 2026, America had nearly 1,000 billionaires, whereas, according to the most recent federal data available, in 2024 roughly 10.6% of the population — or 35.9 million people — lived below the ...

Starches should be a modest part of a mixed meal

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 77-year-old man who’s prediabetic. I was told by a longtime diabetic that sugar (candy, soda, cake, etc.) doesn’t need to be avoided — just carbohydrates such as pasta, potatoes, etc. I was surprised to hear this. Is it really true? — Anon. ANSWER: We often use terms like carbohydrates, starches and sugars imprecisely. Strictly speaking, sugars are small molecules (usually 5 or 6 carbon molecules long), like glucose or fructose, which are called monosaccharides. These can also be combined into a single molecule (a disaccharide), which, in the case of ...

Siblings take opposite stances on sleepaway camp

Columns

Dear Annie: My husband and I are at odds over whether to send our two children to sleepaway camp next summer. He went every year from the time he was 8 and talks about it as one of the happiest parts of his childhood. He says camp taught him independence, helped him make lifelong friends and gave him a confidence he never would have developed at home. I never went to sleepaway camp, and the thought of sending our children away for several weeks makes me very uneasy. Our older child is excited by the idea, but our younger one is sensitive, has trouble falling asleep in unfamiliar places ...

Trump’s hubris rivals the fallen heroes of ancient Greek mythology

Columns

In January, the New York Times asked President Donald Trump if there were any limits on his global powers. “Yeah,” the president responded, “there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” That was eight months ago, but fortunately Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of “The Odyssey” has made ancient Greek literature newly relevant. Before that window closes, I’d like to talk about hubris. Today, the term mostly means excessive pride or arrogance. That’s part of what the Greeks meant by it too, but the meaning was ...